DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but this story. I don't own Law and Order:UK or the characters. Still wanting a Devlin for my very own. I'd be content with looking.
They arrived at the hospital and Matt found his hand ripped from Alesha's as they took her out of the ambulance into the hospital. He followed, putting one foot in front of the other. Praying that Alesha would be OK. He was politely told to wait in the waiting area and gave what he could regarding Alesha's medical history. He had learned a lot after the Merrick incident; stuff he didn't think he'd ever have use for, at least not like this.
He sat in the same chair in the waiting area, in sight of the nurses when they came outside. He showed no emotion; shock evident in his posture.
Ronnie entered the waiting area and immediately spotted Matt. He sat next to the younger man and didn't say a word. He knew Matt was processing.
Matt noticed Ronnie had sat down, but he made no move to talk to him. He ran through the scenarios in his head. He was angry. He was angry with the situation, with the perp and… with himself. 'If I had insisted on sticking around this morning and escorting her to work, this wouldn't have happened,' he thought to himself.
"There is nothing you could have done, Matt. Stop beating yourself up over it. We have to concentrate on finding who did this," Ronnie said in his quiet way.
Matt started to open his mouth when he heard his name being called.
He looked up and saw the intake nurse standing in the middle of the waiting area. He jumped up and approached her. "Matt Devlin," he said.
"The doctor said he'll talk to you about what happened to Miss Philips, if you would like. He said you can't interview her because she's still unconscious, but we'll let the department know as soon as she wakes," she said. She motioned for Matt to follow. Matt was confused, but then it hit him. The hospital staff thought he was here because he was a cop, not because he was in love with the victim. He would have to remedy that, but right now, all he wanted to do was find out what was wrong with her and when he'd be able to hold her in his arms again. He followed through the exam room door, shocked at the bright lighting in the room. It made Alesha look a thousand times worse than in the ambulance, if that was possible. The doctor looked up from the monitor and approached Matt.
"Dr. Grande," he said."DS Matt Devlin. Miss Philips is a junior Crown Prosecutor. She's worked with myself and my partner on several occasions," he said, his eyes never leaving Alesha's still form.
"Well, Miss Philips has sustained some severe stab wounds. We're giving her a transfusion and she's also headed to the theatre to have those abdominal wounds explored. The cut to her neck missed the carotid by millimetres. The surgeon will have the plastic surgeon in the theatre to sew that one up, so it doesn't scar. Miss Philips is very lucky. Our forensic examiners have taken pictures for you. They've emailed them to both the ME and your supervisor. Hopefully, nothing is wrong internally and she's just suffering from the blood loss. Miss Philips is an extremely lucky young lady. Does she have family or anyone we can contact," he asked.
Matt answered, "We've contacted those who matter to her."
"If I get anymore information, I'll contact you, Matt," the doctor said, holding out his hand. Matt shook it and watched the doctor leave the room. The nurse stepped back in and looked at Matt."You're someone special to her, aren't you," she asked with a kind smile on her face."You could say that," he said."Why don't you wait with her until they come to take her to surgery. I'll let them know you're her bodyguard," she said.
Matt nodded his thanks and she excused herself from the room. Matt grabbed her hand and kissed it, mindful of the small cuts on her palms, probably from being pushed to the ground. She looked so small in this room and it was killing him that she was in this position. He kissed her forehead and whispered that he loved her in her ear. She made no move that she heard him and Matt suppressed the growing fear he was having that she was going to be seriously harmed by this incident.
Ten minutes of Matt holding her hand passed before they arrived to take her to the theatre.
"Leave me your mobile and I'll call you once she's settled. I know you want to find out who did this to her," the nurse from earlier said.
Matt wrote his number on the paper she handed him and the nurse clipped it to the chart."Thank you," he said.
"It's not a problem. I'm Helen, so if you need anything, just ask for me. I'll call you the minute she's out," Helen said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
They wheeled Alesha toward the double doors of the A&E exit toward the theatre. Matt went in the opposite direction and found Ronnie on the phone with Natalie. "We'll be there as soon as Matt's ready to leave," Ronnie said, ending the call.
"We can head back to MIU. The nurse will call when Alesha is out and there's nothing I can do here but think about what happened. I want to find out who did this to her," Matt said, conviction in his voice.
"Let's go then, "Ronnie said, leaving them out the doors to the car. Ronnie offered to drive, since Matt was a bit emotional.
**Why does Natalie want to see them? What are they going to find out? Is Alesha going to be OK?** -mereditholiver
